Clarke County Public Schools

Clarke County Public Schools is a small Virginia district in Clarke County serving approximately 1,883 students across four schools—Clarke County High, Johnson-Williams Middle, D.G. Cooley Elementary, and Boyce Elementary—spanning grades PK through 12. The district as a whole is strong, ranking 22nd out of 131 Virginia districts (83rd percentile) with a 4-star rating, and every school improved its state ranking between 2023–24 and 2025–26.

Clarke County High is the district's standout, ranking 44th of 331 Virginia high schools (87th percentile) with a perfect 100% graduation rate, a 0% dropout rate, and 100% proficiency in 12th-grade English Reading. Johnson-Williams Middle posted the largest improvement, jumping from the 32nd to the 68th percentile in two years, with 100% of 8th graders proficient in Algebra I. Boyce Elementary achieved the highest elementary rank (58th percentile) despite serving the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (34.5%) and posted the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 9.6%. D.G. Cooley Elementary, the largest elementary school, ranks at the 56th percentile with strong 3rd-grade math (86.9%) and VA Studies (75.8%).

Chronic absenteeism is the district's most uneven metric, ranging from 9.6% at Boyce Elementary to 19.6% at Johnson-Williams Middle, suggesting the middle school's academic gains could grow further with better attendance. Math is a clear strength across the pipeline, while social studies is the district's soft spot. Notably, spending does not neatly predict outcomes: Johnson-Williams spends the least per student ($8,765) yet improved the most, while Clarke County High spends the most ($10,715) and ranks highest. Overall, this is a high-performing, improving district anchored by an excellent high school and a rapidly emerging middle school.